There are many types of devices that are designed to eliminate pressure caused by hair rollers when the rollers are pressed against the scalp as when worn during sleep. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,247, as a pad having a slit therein through which the hair is inserted prior to being wound on a curler. Such device is bothersome to use since the hair must be threaded through the slit prior to being rolled on a curler and must be removed from the roller prior to being pulled back through the slit. Other types of scalp protecting devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,498,301; and 3,685,524. The protective devices disclosed in these patents also are in the form of separate pads which are used in conjunction with hair rollers. The pads are generally made of a soft, resilient material which are disposed between the rollers and the scalp. These devices are cumbersome and somewhat bothersome to use since they are separate and distinct from the roller and the hair must be rolled around the roller while the pads are held or otherwise manipulated to remain positioned between the roller and the scalp.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a hair roller which is simple to use in a hair curling operation and which provides a cushion to protect the scalp of the wearer even while the wearer is laying down.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a hair roller and cushion as a unitary structure which permits rapid and facile rolling of the hair directly thereon and which also permits rapid and facile unrolling therefrom.